Koreatown's New Gateway

The traditional Korean pavilion and garden recently unveiled at the intersection of Olympic and Normandie adds a welcome touch of beauty to the neighborhood where the first Korean grocery in Los Angeles opened in the late 1960s and gave Koreatown its start.

It would be difficult to improve upon K. Connie Kang’s description in a recent Los Angeles Times story:

"Made of pine and dyed in traditional shades of green, rust and red, the open-air pavilion is topped by an upswept tiled roof and contains a seating area that will be open to the public. It is surrounded by a rock garden graced with azaleas and willows. Two figures made of volcanic rocks from Cheju Island, guarding against evil spirits, stand by a small wooden bridge connecting the garden to the public."

There is evidently concern, however, that the Cheju Island figures are inadequate guardians. Despite the fact that available renderings show the site as completely open and accessible from sidewalk and street, the garden remains caged in a chain link fence more than two weeks after it was formally opened in a dedication ceremony. The Times account notes that additional funds have been secured “to build a gate around the landmark” – presumably permanent fencing of some kind.

This additional work is slated to begin in the fall. How the permanent fencing will affect sightlines for the pavilion and garden remains unknown.

In a neighborhood where graffiti is rampant and where razor wire is visible on some apartment building walls, perhaps this is unavoidable. It certainly adds a sad undertone of irony to the name given the new pavilion: Da Wool Jung, or “harmonious gathering place.”

One might even discern an unhappy hint of symbolism for a community that has often seemed beset by insecurity and, at times, a certain insularity in its dealings with others.

But the pavilion is undeniably beautiful. It is, to my knowledge, the second Korean pavilion built in Los Angeles – the first is a monument to American veterans of the Korean War. A bicentennial gift to the United States from the people of Korea, it has overlooked the Pacific from Angels Gate Park, San Pedro, since 1976.

Both pavilions are extremely graceful additions to the Southern California landscape.